The 10 shortest routes global airlines flew in 2019

A line of aircraft preparing for take-off.Jingying Zhao/Getty Images

• Travel data firm OAG compiled a list of the world's shortest airline routes for 2019, highlighting a lack of connectivity in some regions of the world that rely, in part, on aviation.
• All of the routes are under 100 nautical miles with the shortest coming in at 13 nautical miles.
• Three of the top 10 shortest routes are found in the US with legacy carriers operating all three.
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Sometimes, driving isn't an option.

As airlines seek to connect the world with more nonstop flights, the list of the world's longest flights has changed numerous times in the past few years as new aircraft technology allows for flights as long as 19 hours. But while those flights seek to create convenience for travelers, particularly business travelers for whom time is money, the flights at the other end of the spectrum are often performed out of necessity.

Extremely short flights between cities, while they appear to be wasteful, are usually lifelines or vital links that connect two cities that are otherwise inaccessible or impractical to traverse another way.

Travel data firm OAG compiled the list of the world's shortest flights in 2019, highlighting how aviation has the ability to connect more so than other means in some cases, as part of its Busiest Routes 2020 report.

While most are found in Africa and Asia, the US has three of the top 10.

Take a look at some of the world's shortest hops.